Metro-Area Religious Demographics

Minneapolis–Saint Paul Metro Area

Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) • Minnesota / Wisconsin

👥 Population: 3,790,295 (2025 MSA estimate)📉 Unaffiliated: 34% (2023-24)

Metropolitan Religious Landscape

The Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area combines a strong Lutheran and broader Protestant heritage with a large Catholic population and one of the most distinctive immigrant religious landscapes in the Upper Midwest. The region has substantial Somali Muslim, Hmong, Vietnamese, East African, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and other communities. Pew Research Center's 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study estimates that about 59% of adults in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro area identify as Christian, about 7% identify with other religions, 34% are religiously unaffiliated, and 1% did not answer the religious-identification question.

Religious-Affiliation Breakdown

Pew RLS 2023-24

Percentages represent adult population survey estimates for the metropolitan area.

Religious Group	Share (%)	Subgroups & Community Context
Evangelical Protestant	16%	Nondenominational evangelical family (4%) Lutheran evangelical family (3%) Pentecostal family (2%) Baptist family (2%) Reformed family (1%) Adventist family (1%) Pietist family (1%) Other evangelical Protestant traditions (generally less than 1% each)
Mainline Protestant	21%	ELCA Lutheran family (12%) Other Lutheran traditions (2%) United Methodist family (1%) Nondenominational mainline family (1%) Presbyterian family (1%) Nonspecific mainline Protestant family (2%) Other mainline Protestant traditions (generally less than 1% each)
Historically Black Protestant	2%	Baptist family (1%) Pentecostal family, including Church of God in Christ (1%) Other historically Black Protestant traditions are individually below 1%
Roman Catholic	18%	Catholic adults account for 18% of the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro adult population The region has longstanding Irish, German, Polish, Latino, Hmong, Vietnamese and other Catholic communities
Latter-day Saint	0.5%	Pew reports Latter-day Saint identification as less than 1% 0.5% is a display convention and is not an exact survey estimate
Orthodox Christian	0.5%	Pew reports Orthodox Christian identification as less than 1% The region has Greek, Ukrainian, Romanian and other Orthodox institutions 0.5% is a display convention rather than an exact estimate
Jehovah's Witness	0.5%	Pew reports Jehovah's Witness identification as less than 1% 0.5% is a display convention rather than an exact estimate
Other Christian	1%	Pew reports 1% under other Christian traditions This includes smaller and metaphysical Christian traditions
Jewish	1%	Pew estimates 1% of Minneapolis–St. Paul metro adults identify as Jewish Jewish institutions are concentrated in Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Minnetonka and nearby communities
Muslim	3%	Somali and other East African Muslim communities South Asian Muslim communities Arab and other Muslim communities
Buddhist	0.5%	Pew reports Buddhist identification as less than 1% The Twin Cities have Hmong, Vietnamese, Thai, Tibetan, Japanese and other Buddhist institutions 0.5% is a display convention rather than an exact estimate
Hindu	0.5%	Pew reports Hindu identification as less than 1% Hindu temples and cultural organizations operate in the Twin Cities 0.5% is a display convention rather than an exact estimate
Other World Religions	1%	Pew reports 1% under other world religions Native American religions are reported separately as less than 1%
Other Religious Identifications	2%	Unitarians and other liberal faiths (2%) New Age identification (1%) is included in Pew's broader detailed classification and should not be added again as a separate population
Religiously Unaffiliated	34%	Atheist (6%) Agnostic (11%) Nothing in particular (17%)
Did Not Answer	1%	Pew reports 1% did not answer the religious-identification question

📈 10-Year Demographic Trend (2014 vs. 2023-24)

Religiously unaffiliated adults increased from 23% of the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro area in Pew's 2014 Religious Landscape Study to 34% in the 2023-24 study. The comparison should be interpreted cautiously because Pew changed its survey methodology between the two studies.

Regional & Geographic Distribution

Minneapolis

Minneapolis has major Lutheran, Catholic, historically Black Protestant, Jewish, Muslim and other religious institutions. Cedar-Riverside is especially notable for its Somali community and Muslim institutions and is widely known as Little Mogadishu.

Cedar-Riverside

Cedar-Riverside, on Minneapolis's West Bank, has a large Somali population, numerous Somali-owned businesses and several Muslim institutions. The area has historical roots as an immigrant neighborhood and today remains one of the Twin Cities' most visible centers of Somali American life.

Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park

Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park contain significant East African, Somali and other immigrant communities with mosques, community organizations and businesses serving residents from across the metropolitan region.

St. Louis Park

St. Louis Park has a longstanding Jewish institutional presence and is home to synagogues, Jewish schools, community organizations and other Jewish institutions.

St. Paul

St. Paul contains major Catholic, Lutheran, Buddhist, Hmong, Karen, Jewish and other religious institutions. Its East Side and surrounding neighborhoods include important Asian and immigrant religious communities.

Notable Houses of Worship & Faith Centers

Major active community institutions, historic landmarks, and diaspora centers across the metropolitan area:

🛕 Hindu Temples

Hindu Society of Minnesota Temple – Maple Grove, Minnesota
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir – Minneapolis–St. Paul area

🕌 Mosques

Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center – Minneapolis
Abubakar Asiddique Islamic Center – Minneapolis
Islamic Center of Minnesota – Fridley, Minnesota
Masjid An-Nur – Minneapolis

☸️ Buddhist Temples and Centers

Minnesota Zen Meditation Center – Minneapolis
Clouds in Water Zen Center – St. Paul
Hmong and Vietnamese Buddhist temples in the Twin Cities

✡️ Synagogues

Temple Israel – Minneapolis
Beth El Synagogue – St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Adath Jeshurun Congregation – Minnetonka, Minnesota

⛪ Churches

Central Lutheran Church – Minneapolis
House of Hope Presbyterian Church – St. Paul
Cathedral of Saint Paul – St. Paul

Verified Address & Facility Notes

• Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center is a Minneapolis mosque serving the area's Muslim community, including Somali and other East African residents.

• The Islamic Center of Minnesota is located in Fridley and provides religious, educational and community services for Muslims throughout the Twin Cities region.

• Temple Israel is a major Jewish Reform congregation in Minneapolis and one of the metro area's longstanding Jewish institutions.

• Beth El Synagogue is a Conservative Jewish congregation in St. Louis Park serving the Twin Cities Jewish community.

• Minnesota Zen Meditation Center is a Buddhist practice center in Minneapolis representing Zen Buddhist practice and meditation.

Key Demographic & Cultural Facts

Pew's 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study estimates that 34% of Minneapolis–St. Paul metro adults are religiously unaffiliated: 6% atheist, 11% agnostic and 17% with no religion in particular.
Mainline Protestants account for 21% of metro adults and evangelical Protestants for 16%, reflecting the region's strong Lutheran and broader Protestant heritage.
Catholics account for 18% of metro adults in Pew's current estimate.
Pew estimates Muslim identification at 3% of metro adults, while Jewish identification is 1%; Buddhist and Hindu identification are each reported as less than 1%.
The 2025 Census-derived population estimate for the Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington MSA is 3,790,295.
The University of Minnesota describes the Twin Cities as having the largest number of people of Somali descent outside Somalia and the nation's largest urban Hmong American population.
Minneapolis tourism information reports more than 25,000 Somali residents in the city and identifies Cedar-Riverside as Little Mogadishu. The original claim of 80,000–100,000 Somali Americans in the metro was therefore removed because it was not adequately supported.
Cedar-Riverside has a long immigrant history. Minneapolis cultural information records earlier Scandinavian and Eastern European settlement before the area's more recent Somali community became predominant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Mainline Protestantism is the largest broad religious tradition in Pew's 2023-24 metro profile at 21% of adults. Catholics account for 18% and evangelical Protestants for 16%. Lutheranism is especially prominent within the mainline Protestant category.

Pew estimates that 34% of Minneapolis–St. Paul metro adults are religiously unaffiliated: 6% atheist, 11% agnostic and 17% with no religion in particular.

Pew estimates that 3% of adults in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro area identify as Muslim. The community includes Somali, other East African, South Asian, Arab, African American and other Muslim populations.

Cedar-Riverside is one of the Twin Cities' principal centers of Somali American life. Minneapolis tourism information says the city has more than 25,000 Somali residents and identifies Cedar-Riverside as Little Mogadishu, with numerous Somali businesses and community institutions.

Lutheranism is a defining part of the area's historic religious identity. Pew estimates the metro's mainline Protestant share at 21%, including 12% identifying with the ELCA Lutheran family and another 2% with other mainline Lutheran traditions.

The Twin Cities are home to the nation's largest urban Hmong American population, according to University of Minnesota materials. Hmong residents have established Christian, Buddhist and other religious institutions across Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Academic & Survey Sources

• Primary Religion Survey: Pew Research Center, 2023-24 U.S. Religious Landscape Study, Minneapolis–St. Paul metro area

• Population Benchmark: U.S. Census Bureau annual metropolitan population estimates for the Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN-WI MSA

Methodology & Survey Notes:

Pew's 2023-24 Minneapolis–St. Paul metro estimates have a margin of error of approximately ±7.0 percentage points.
The figures describe adults rather than the entire metropolitan population including children.
Pew reports Latter-day Saint, Orthodox Christian, Jehovah's Witness, Buddhist and Hindu identification below 1% where applicable. Any 0.5% display values here are visualization conventions and are not exact survey measurements.
Pew reports that figures may not sum exactly to 100% because of rounding.
The 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study used a different collection method from the 2014 study, so historical comparisons should be interpreted cautiously.
The U.S. Census Bureau does not collect religious affiliation in the decennial census.

Verified Reference Links: